NKT cells and Graft-versus-Leukemia Effects

异基因干细胞移植(SCT)仍然是治疗多种恶性疾病，尤其是白血病患者的最有效的治疗方法。通过这种方法治愈白血病的能力与一种被称为移植物抗白血病效应(GVL)的过程有关，这种过程发生在新移植的干细胞(包括免疫系统)识别出白血病是外来的并对其发动免疫攻击时。这些研究将集中在侵袭NKT细胞的细胞途径的作用，初步数据表明这对GVL的发展至关重要。增强这一激活途径的方法将在临床前模型中进行研究，然后可能在临床试验中进行研究，目的是改善白血病移植患者的结局。

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) remains the most effect curative treatment for patients with a number of malignant conditions, especially leukemia. The ability to cure leukemia by this procedure relates to a process known as Graft-versus-Leukaemia effects (GVL) which ocurrs when the newly transplanted stem cells (which includes the immune system) recognises the leukemia as foreign and mounts an immune attack against it. These studies will focus on the effect of a cellular pathway invilving NKT cells that preliminary data suggests is critical to the development of GVL. Methods to augment this activation pathway will be studied in preclinical models that may then be studied in clinical trials with the aim of improving the outcome of patients transplanted for leukemias.